| To contact us: Calvary Episcopal Church 667 Mount Road Aston, PA 19014 610-459-2013 OFFICE mail@calvaryepiscopalrockdale.org |
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| SERMON 18 Pentecost - Proper 19 September 14, 2008 The Rev. Kristine Hill |
| 667 Mount Road, Aston, PA 19014 610-459-2013 |
| Small Parish - Big Heart The little church you've been looking for! All are welcome! |
| Our Mission: To worship the Lord To serve the community To grow the church |
There were so many crosses throughout the cathedral. There were big
crosses and small crosses -- some long and narrow, others boxy, or wide --
each proudly held by someone whose carriage and expression showed the
importance of his or her task. Some held their cross high and straight, others
a little lower and not quite as erect. But each of the crosses those acolytes
held looked regal whether it was made of shining brass or polished wood,
whether newly purchased or worn from years of use. Whether the cross was
empty signifying the victory of the resurrection, or draped with Jesus’ body to
remind of the crucifixion, each was regal in appearance. Watching that sea of
crosses come in procession down the long, long center aisle of the
Washington National Cathedral just about took your breath away.
At the annual Acolyte Festival, congregations from across the nation bring their
young people -- crucifers, torch bearers, Bible bearers, banner bearers,
censors -- to join the great procession and to worship God in the great
Cathedral. It’s a wonderful event. That marvelous nave with its impossibly high
arches, is filled with participants – children as young as four years old up to
adults in their sixties and seventies. What a sight to see -- the packed church,
about equally divided with black people and white people; the multitude of
acolytes dressed in their robes which are pretty equally divided between red
robes and white robes. In each group one acolyte brings the Bible, two carry
the torches, a more seasoned acolyte swings the incense -- up and down,
over and around -- and in the middle of it all, dignified and reverent, comes
the acolyte bearing the cross. You can see on that acolyte’s face how much it
means to carry the cross.
Today is Holy Cross Sunday -- Calvary Day -- this congregation’s name day. It
is a good day, a day to celebrate, to rejoice, to feast -- (which we plan to do
right after worship with a picnic lunch). The image from the acolyte festival at
the Washington Cathedral came to mind because today, we hold the cross
high in our worship, in our midst. Today we rejoice in the victory of the cross
of Jesus Christ. We remember that we have been set free from bondage. We
are no longer chained to things that hold us back, that keep us from living a
full life, from giving our whole selves to life -- our gifts and abilities, our plans,
our dreams, our hopes, our mistakes, our failures, our limitations, our capacity
to learn and grow -- we give everything without fear because we know that in
the cross we have been claimed by God as beloved, that in Jesus we have
been promised the opportunity, whenever we mess things up, to start again.
What a great day -- a day to celebrate the cross of Jesus Christ.
The cross has released us from captivity; we are free to be fully alive. Marked
by the cross, our Christian communities take a certain shape. Together, we live
boldly, not holding back or hiding ourselves from one another (not easy, but
possible); we build trust, map-out common goals, speak openly to one another
about disagreements, undertake projects which may or may not succeed, and
we carry-on the ministry of Jesus Christ, we embody Jesus in our
relationships. We live this way -- strive to live this way -- because of the
lavish mercy of God. On the cross, Jesus forgave the whole human race for
denying him and putting him to death -- “Father forgive them, they don’t
understand...;” on the cross Jesus promised the repentant sinner: “today you
will be with me in Paradise.” We rejoice in the cross of Christ. In it we see
God’s mercy; by it we are redeemed; through it we receive life, rich and
abundant.
Even while we are rejoicing, though, sometimes we get tripped up in our life
under the cross, this new life Jesus has blessed us with. It has a different set
of values from “the life of the world,” and since we live both places – in the
world and under the cross – at times we fail to shape our relationships
according to our life in Christ. Which is why Peter went to Jesus and asked:
“if one of the members of the congregation (not a stranger, or an outsider,
mind you - but a fellow believer…) if one of the brothers or sisters sins
against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” It’s a
reasonable question. How often should we “bite the bullet” and forgive when
someone has wronged us? By naming the number “seven” Peter is not being
arbitrary; in ancient Hebrew culture “seven” connotes perfection or completion.
His questions implies: “would seven times -- seven signifying completion -- be
the fulfillment of my duty toward that person?” -- not an unreasonable thing to
ask.
Jesus’ response is: “not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Again working
with the idea that “seven” stands for a thing being completed, Jesus’ reply
suggests that Peter needs to forgive to the extent of ‘completion doubled,’ or
we might say ‘completion to the “nth” degree.’ Jesus’ point is that Peter does
not so much have the “wrong answer,” as he has failed to understand what
forgiveness is altogether. There is no keeping accounts in forgiveness, no
scorecards to note who has been forgiven how many times, who owes what
to whom. The whole point of forgiving someone, is to let the offense go, to
resume the relationship without that incident being a stumbling block any
more. One who has truly let go of an incident does not remember how many
times she has forgiven another. And forgiveness is the core of living under
the cross. Through the cross we are released from burdens and debts; we
now live in the wideness of God’s love and mercy. How easy and joyful to
share that grace, love and mercy -- that forgiveness -- with one another.
However, there is a story that illustrates our gospel reading this morning, and
it is troubling. A slave with an enormous debt is on the verge of being
thrown into debtor’s prison with his whole family. He begs the king to give
him more time to pay. The king relents and, rather than giving him more time
to pay, simply cancels the debt. (Can you imagine a bank doing that?... you’re
six months late on your mortgage payments and instead of giving you a re-
payment plan, they simply cancel what you owe and give you the house, free
and clear?) So, this newly unburdened slave runs into a fellow slave who
owes him a small debt. He grabs the guy by the neck and demands immediate
payment. The fellow slave asks for more time to make his payments, but the
debt-free slave refuses and throws him into jail. Well… not surprising, the
neighbors rat-on the debt-free slave and the king locks-him-up for his
heartlessness. That story leaves us uncomfortable. Because we get that it is
pointing to us and our difficulty forgiving one another, but… surely we’re not
that awful, …are we?
We live under the reign of the cross -- the empty cross -- where Jesus died
but no longer hangs because he has been raised and he lives. The cross has
changed us, it has changed the world for us, it has changed every-relationship-
we-are-in because it has opened a new way for us to relate to God. Nothing
is the same since the cross of Jesus. Sin’s hold over us is broken; the
shame we bore because we could not keep the law is wiped-away. The
distance we thought lay between us and God -- (you and I so broken and
imperfect, so vulnerable and limited, while God is power and perfect-justice,
love and absolute truth) -- the distance we thought was there, is gone. God is
as close as the bread laid in our hands, the cup raised to our lips . God is as
close as the words we hear with our own ears: “Almighty God have mercy on
you and forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ…” God is as
close as the cross that stands in our nave, the altar in our chancel, the pulpit
Bible -- these Christian symbols that call us to recognize God’s presence in
God’s house. The cross has changed everything. No wonder congregational
acolytes shine with the honor of carrying the cross into worship.
And so we are gathered today, Calvary Church celebrating Holy Cross Sunday,
our name day… what does this day and its name mean for us? What does it
say about who we are? Does it suggest that we are bearers of the cross, like
those reverent, dignified acolytes at the National Cathedral, proudly bearing
aloft the symbol of new life in Christ? Does it mean that we are people who
lead others to worship, representing within ourselves, within our community,
the cross of Christ so that all may see and come to the house of God? Does
it mean that we are a people dedicated to incorporating forgiveness into our
life together, practicing over-and-over how to address issues and conflicts
among ourselves honestly so we can then be able genuinely to forgive each
other and move on? Is that what it means for us to be people who live under
the cross, people who bear the name “Calvary Church?”
Today we celebrate Calvary church -- our past, our present and our future;
we give thanks for the many years of being the Body of Christ in this place,
doing God’s work. We remember fondly people who have been among us,
leaders, rectors, members. We praise God for the service we have been able
to render, for the people we have loved, for the worship we have offered, for
the learning and the teaching, for how we have grown in faith. We give
thanks to God for this parish, going back to its beginning, one hundred and
seventy-five years ago, and looking ahead to its future. Just as Calvary has
touched the lives of many people from its beginning until now, we pray that
we might continue to reach others with the good news of Jesus Christ. And
so may the God who loves us and has redeemed us by the Holy Cross, be
among us now to guide us, so that the blessings of this congregation will not
stay here, but will be shared with our neighbors and with the world, for the
love of Jesus Christ. amen
crosses and small crosses -- some long and narrow, others boxy, or wide --
each proudly held by someone whose carriage and expression showed the
importance of his or her task. Some held their cross high and straight, others
a little lower and not quite as erect. But each of the crosses those acolytes
held looked regal whether it was made of shining brass or polished wood,
whether newly purchased or worn from years of use. Whether the cross was
empty signifying the victory of the resurrection, or draped with Jesus’ body to
remind of the crucifixion, each was regal in appearance. Watching that sea of
crosses come in procession down the long, long center aisle of the
Washington National Cathedral just about took your breath away.
At the annual Acolyte Festival, congregations from across the nation bring their
young people -- crucifers, torch bearers, Bible bearers, banner bearers,
censors -- to join the great procession and to worship God in the great
Cathedral. It’s a wonderful event. That marvelous nave with its impossibly high
arches, is filled with participants – children as young as four years old up to
adults in their sixties and seventies. What a sight to see -- the packed church,
about equally divided with black people and white people; the multitude of
acolytes dressed in their robes which are pretty equally divided between red
robes and white robes. In each group one acolyte brings the Bible, two carry
the torches, a more seasoned acolyte swings the incense -- up and down,
over and around -- and in the middle of it all, dignified and reverent, comes
the acolyte bearing the cross. You can see on that acolyte’s face how much it
means to carry the cross.
Today is Holy Cross Sunday -- Calvary Day -- this congregation’s name day. It
is a good day, a day to celebrate, to rejoice, to feast -- (which we plan to do
right after worship with a picnic lunch). The image from the acolyte festival at
the Washington Cathedral came to mind because today, we hold the cross
high in our worship, in our midst. Today we rejoice in the victory of the cross
of Jesus Christ. We remember that we have been set free from bondage. We
are no longer chained to things that hold us back, that keep us from living a
full life, from giving our whole selves to life -- our gifts and abilities, our plans,
our dreams, our hopes, our mistakes, our failures, our limitations, our capacity
to learn and grow -- we give everything without fear because we know that in
the cross we have been claimed by God as beloved, that in Jesus we have
been promised the opportunity, whenever we mess things up, to start again.
What a great day -- a day to celebrate the cross of Jesus Christ.
The cross has released us from captivity; we are free to be fully alive. Marked
by the cross, our Christian communities take a certain shape. Together, we live
boldly, not holding back or hiding ourselves from one another (not easy, but
possible); we build trust, map-out common goals, speak openly to one another
about disagreements, undertake projects which may or may not succeed, and
we carry-on the ministry of Jesus Christ, we embody Jesus in our
relationships. We live this way -- strive to live this way -- because of the
lavish mercy of God. On the cross, Jesus forgave the whole human race for
denying him and putting him to death -- “Father forgive them, they don’t
understand...;” on the cross Jesus promised the repentant sinner: “today you
will be with me in Paradise.” We rejoice in the cross of Christ. In it we see
God’s mercy; by it we are redeemed; through it we receive life, rich and
abundant.
Even while we are rejoicing, though, sometimes we get tripped up in our life
under the cross, this new life Jesus has blessed us with. It has a different set
of values from “the life of the world,” and since we live both places – in the
world and under the cross – at times we fail to shape our relationships
according to our life in Christ. Which is why Peter went to Jesus and asked:
“if one of the members of the congregation (not a stranger, or an outsider,
mind you - but a fellow believer…) if one of the brothers or sisters sins
against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” It’s a
reasonable question. How often should we “bite the bullet” and forgive when
someone has wronged us? By naming the number “seven” Peter is not being
arbitrary; in ancient Hebrew culture “seven” connotes perfection or completion.
His questions implies: “would seven times -- seven signifying completion -- be
the fulfillment of my duty toward that person?” -- not an unreasonable thing to
ask.
Jesus’ response is: “not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Again working
with the idea that “seven” stands for a thing being completed, Jesus’ reply
suggests that Peter needs to forgive to the extent of ‘completion doubled,’ or
we might say ‘completion to the “nth” degree.’ Jesus’ point is that Peter does
not so much have the “wrong answer,” as he has failed to understand what
forgiveness is altogether. There is no keeping accounts in forgiveness, no
scorecards to note who has been forgiven how many times, who owes what
to whom. The whole point of forgiving someone, is to let the offense go, to
resume the relationship without that incident being a stumbling block any
more. One who has truly let go of an incident does not remember how many
times she has forgiven another. And forgiveness is the core of living under
the cross. Through the cross we are released from burdens and debts; we
now live in the wideness of God’s love and mercy. How easy and joyful to
share that grace, love and mercy -- that forgiveness -- with one another.
However, there is a story that illustrates our gospel reading this morning, and
it is troubling. A slave with an enormous debt is on the verge of being
thrown into debtor’s prison with his whole family. He begs the king to give
him more time to pay. The king relents and, rather than giving him more time
to pay, simply cancels the debt. (Can you imagine a bank doing that?... you’re
six months late on your mortgage payments and instead of giving you a re-
payment plan, they simply cancel what you owe and give you the house, free
and clear?) So, this newly unburdened slave runs into a fellow slave who
owes him a small debt. He grabs the guy by the neck and demands immediate
payment. The fellow slave asks for more time to make his payments, but the
debt-free slave refuses and throws him into jail. Well… not surprising, the
neighbors rat-on the debt-free slave and the king locks-him-up for his
heartlessness. That story leaves us uncomfortable. Because we get that it is
pointing to us and our difficulty forgiving one another, but… surely we’re not
that awful, …are we?
We live under the reign of the cross -- the empty cross -- where Jesus died
but no longer hangs because he has been raised and he lives. The cross has
changed us, it has changed the world for us, it has changed every-relationship-
we-are-in because it has opened a new way for us to relate to God. Nothing
is the same since the cross of Jesus. Sin’s hold over us is broken; the
shame we bore because we could not keep the law is wiped-away. The
distance we thought lay between us and God -- (you and I so broken and
imperfect, so vulnerable and limited, while God is power and perfect-justice,
love and absolute truth) -- the distance we thought was there, is gone. God is
as close as the bread laid in our hands, the cup raised to our lips . God is as
close as the words we hear with our own ears: “Almighty God have mercy on
you and forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ…” God is as
close as the cross that stands in our nave, the altar in our chancel, the pulpit
Bible -- these Christian symbols that call us to recognize God’s presence in
God’s house. The cross has changed everything. No wonder congregational
acolytes shine with the honor of carrying the cross into worship.
And so we are gathered today, Calvary Church celebrating Holy Cross Sunday,
our name day… what does this day and its name mean for us? What does it
say about who we are? Does it suggest that we are bearers of the cross, like
those reverent, dignified acolytes at the National Cathedral, proudly bearing
aloft the symbol of new life in Christ? Does it mean that we are people who
lead others to worship, representing within ourselves, within our community,
the cross of Christ so that all may see and come to the house of God? Does
it mean that we are a people dedicated to incorporating forgiveness into our
life together, practicing over-and-over how to address issues and conflicts
among ourselves honestly so we can then be able genuinely to forgive each
other and move on? Is that what it means for us to be people who live under
the cross, people who bear the name “Calvary Church?”
Today we celebrate Calvary church -- our past, our present and our future;
we give thanks for the many years of being the Body of Christ in this place,
doing God’s work. We remember fondly people who have been among us,
leaders, rectors, members. We praise God for the service we have been able
to render, for the people we have loved, for the worship we have offered, for
the learning and the teaching, for how we have grown in faith. We give
thanks to God for this parish, going back to its beginning, one hundred and
seventy-five years ago, and looking ahead to its future. Just as Calvary has
touched the lives of many people from its beginning until now, we pray that
we might continue to reach others with the good news of Jesus Christ. And
so may the God who loves us and has redeemed us by the Holy Cross, be
among us now to guide us, so that the blessings of this congregation will not
stay here, but will be shared with our neighbors and with the world, for the
love of Jesus Christ. amen
| Genesis 50:15-21 Romans 14:1-12 Matthew 18:21-35 |
